“You know what's wrong with scientific power?... It's a form of inherited wealth... Most kinds of power require a substantial sacrifice by whoever wants the power. There is an apprenticeship, a discipline lasting many years. Whatever kind of power you want. President of the company. Black belt in karate. Spiritual Guru. Whatever it is you seek, you have to put in the time, the practice, the effort. You must give up a lot to get it. It has to be very important to you. And once you have attained it, it is your power. It can't be given away: it resides in you. It is literally the result of your discipline. Now, what is interesting about this process is that, by the time someone has acquired the ability to kill with his bare hands, he has also matured to the point where he won't use it unwisely. So that kind of power has a built-in control. The discipline of getting the power changes you so that you won't abuse it. But scientific power is like inherited wealth: attained without discipline. You read what others have done, and you take the next step... There is no discipline... no mastery: old scientists are ignored. There is no humility before nature... A karate master does not kill people with his bare hands. He does not lose his temper and kill his wife. The person who kills is the person who has no discipline, no restraint, and who has purchased his power in the form of a Saturday night special. And that is the kind of power that science fosters, and permits.”

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About Michael Crichton

American author and filmmaker

John Michael Crichton was an American author and filmmaker. He is best known for novels and screen stories that blend science fiction, techno-thriller, and medical fiction, and for work that sold more than 200 million copies worldwide. His fiction often examines technology, biotechnology, and the effort to control nature, usually with dangerous or disastrous results. Many of his books draw on medical or scientific ideas, and several focus on genetic modification, hybridization, paleontology, or zoology.

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Books by Michael Crichton

Jurassic Park

1991

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The Lost World

1996

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Airframe

1996

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Timeline

1999

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